The Osceola times., 1887-04-02

duplicate report which is not ALWAYS
the same, as one is nearer 10 the pas
senger and can see the money ex.
changed. In this particular the re-
ports may differ. but they should be
exactly alike regarding the main point,
which is the distance travelled by the
passenger counted by the station where
the train is boarded and where it is
left This is tho foundation on which
the exact calculation is made, and the
matter OF the amount of money paid is
only side issue. 1t is necessary to de-
scribe the person, for passengers NAV
| change seats, and the half fare rate for
children must be calculated. When a
combination of spoilers start out
with one conductor they must ride with
him to the end of his run, otherwise no
| exact calculation could be made of the
amount of money he has received.
Now, as to the manner of telling 10 n
| cent how much a conductor has stolen
on run, the scheme il quite ingeni-
Gus, and another kind of talent is mt
in operation. When the reports of the
spoilers reach the main Office of the
agency they have at their beginning Il
diagram of the coach with the seats
designated by number. The conductors $
name is also mentioned, as well AS the
number of the run, beginning with the
first run of the test. The reports of the
run are taken in one collection and
made ont in form, having appended the
distance Travelled by the passenger and
the amount that should have been
paid according TO the tariff sheet fur
nished by the railroad company from
which to make the calculation. This
complete report shows the exact amount
which should have been turned in TO
the company by the conductor. The
next step is to find out how much he
stole. To do this the railroad company
furnished a schedu of the amount of
money paid over by the conductor at
the end of the run. Another voluminous
report is prepared by deducting the
amount received by the company from
the cash which should have been turned
in according to the report Of the spot
ters, and astonishing balances are
sometimes the result. There are in
stances where the amounts balance.
but they are rare indeed, and on long
runs some conductors will pocket all
the way from $40 to 800.
at is also the duty of the 'spotter'
to embody in his report n description
of the conductor the kind of clothes he
wears, whether expensive or not, and
note every article of jewelry with
which he is adorned, with its estimated
value. What is this done for? Well.
I'll tell you. Conductors are the
shrewdest class of men in the world.
and if one Of them is particularly
gaudy and likes to put on style he will
buy big diamonds and gold watch
and chain to wear on the run. When
he gets near headquarters he will
'douse the diamond AS well as the .yel.
low super and appear before the Off
cials with an air of poverty about him
"Do the conductors ever grow sus-
picious of being watched?"
"Do they? Well, | should say they
did; and, by the way. that is another
part of the 'spotter's report to state
whether or not the con- is growing
suspicious, for if he is he won't steal
any money, and consequently the re-
ports would show him honest when he
might be the biggest thief in the bust
ness. When the conductor gets sus-
picious he informs the rest of the train
hands that spoilers are on board the
train, aud when the lucklcss 'fly-cop'
is spotted he might as well leave that
part of the country. He is scowled at,
hissed, jeered, and insulted, and if he
leaves the train by any lonesome route
will have to fight before he reaches u
place of safety. When it first enters
the mind of q conductor that he is
being watched he will resort to every
known means TO verify or dsprove his
fears. He will closely watch the sus-
pected spy, and standing just behind
him will rattle coins in his hands to at
tract his attention. Failing in this he
will send brakeman to shadow him
after he leaves the train, but then il is
too late, for report will be made of
him which settles his position with the
IL remember once how 'spotter'
gave himself away and was dropped
to by the peanut boy on the train. He
had been detailed to leave one terminus
of the line on freight-train that left
the depot in the morning few minutes
after 9 o'clock. With an anxiety that
was perfectly natural he reached the
depot ahead OF time and walked about
the platform. A through passenger
train left which he, of course, did not
take, but waited for the freight A
peanut boy who was riding to another
station noticed his movements and when
he paid the freight conductor cash fare
for $50 miles the boy immediatly noti-
fed the train hands of the incident.
That settled it, and he had to leave the
train after few miles travel and
barely escaped being severely dealt
Chicago Tribune.
How inconsistent most persons are,
You shoot off a pun. brand-new one
possibly, and you are threatened with
instant annihilation. but the same man